ROCKFORD — An agency that serves seniors in Winnebago and surrounding counties considers the state “pretty up to date” on its debt because payments are arriving about 60 days past due.

The state owes $120,000 to Lifescape Community Services, money that was due in July and August.

“Just 60 days late is pretty good. It used to be five or six months would go by before we’d get paid,” said Alan Jones, marketing/fund development director for the Rockford-based agency.

Lifescape serves about 8,000 northern Illinois seniors every year through meal programs, adult day services and general assistance with paperwork or referrals.

The agency runs Meals on Wheels, the region’s only home-delivered, community-based meal program serving thousands of homebound seniors and disabled adults.

The payment delays aren’t shutting down any programs or even forcing Lifescape to turn people away, but Jones said the situation does hinder growth.

Brightside Adult Day Service, a Lifescape program that provides safe, therapeutic daytime care to seniors and people younger than 60 with disabilities, is funded primarily by the state.

“If (the state) solves its financial problem, we can serve more people through the Brightside program, instead of just being able to serve those that come to us,” Jones said.

As for expanding programming, “if we can’t get additional funding, or even the money that’s owed us, it’s difficult to do that.”

Lifescape also receives some of its budget from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Education, and it relies on private and corporate donations.

Illinois is caught up on vendor payments through June but still had more than 90,000 outstanding vouchers as of Sunday, according to the Illinois comptroller’s office.

Officials say that’s a vast improvement. But it may be short-lived.

Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka has warned that the state’s financial health is going to worsen fairly quickly if no action is taken on pension reform or other budget-savings options. Her office is projecting a $9 billion backlog by December.

Reporters from GateHouse Illinois newsrooms examine the real-world effects of the state’s failure to pay its bills.

By the numbers

$4,932,380,879.28* in general fund backlog as of Sept. 22.

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90,161: Total bills delayed.

*This figure only accounts for unpaid bills received by the comptroller’s office. The figure is much higher when including bills that have been sent to state agencies, but are yet to be forwarded to the comptroller for processing.